The facts
Al Jazeera reports that Israeli authorities have begun developing a reservoir on privately owned Palestinian land in Fasayil, in the occupied West Bank. The project, named 'Herod's Pool', follows allegations by Palestinian farmers that settlers illegally diverted water from their village last summer. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced the development, pledging over three million shekels to the project, which he stated would help strengthen Israel's hold on historical sites. Farmer Saad Nemer claims settlers repeatedly redirected water from his farm, stole his irrigation pipeline, and threatened him, leaving his farmland scorched. Reuters reports that Israeli-issued documents and older title records support the Nemer family's ownership claim. The Israeli military body COGAT acknowledged the water diversion occurred without authorization and stated it would investigate. Nemer reported that water was restored briefly but then cut off again. Critics, including Israeli NGO Emek Shaveh, suggest that such projects are increasingly used to assert Israeli control over Palestinian land and heritage, with the origins of the pool itself being unclear to archaeologists.
Our take
Here’s the fucking playbook: First, your racist goon-squad settlers allegedly steal a Palestinian farmer’s irrigation pipe, threaten him, and watch his land turn to dust. Standard bully shit. Then, instead of jailing those pricks, the Israeli government decides to reward the crime by officially building a reservoir for them right on that stolen property. They’re not even hiding it. They’re pouring concrete over the evidence and calling it ‘Herod’s Pool,’ a name so historically dubious even archaeologists are shrugging. It’s like tagging your graffiti with ‘Picasso.’
Enter Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a smug cunt whose entire political existence is a monument to settler vanity. He waddles in, pledges over three million shekels of public money to this racist hole in the ground, and farts out a line about ‘strengthening Israel’s hold on historical sites.’ The historical site is a patch of dirt his buddies stole! The only thing being strengthened is the state’s role as a full-service concierge for land theft. It’s a protection racket with a water feature.
Meanwhile, the military’s civilian arm, COGAT, delivers a masterclass in uselessness. They admit the water diversion was ‘unauthorized’ - no shit - and promise an investigation. Farmer Saad Nemer says they turned the water back on just long enough to create the illusion of action, then cut it off again. It’s the perfect, petty metaphor for the occupation: ‘We can relieve your suffering, but we’d rather build a pool for our mates on your grave.’
This isn’t policy. It’s state-sanctioned piracy. They’re not developing the land; they’re pissing on it and calling it lemonade. Herod’s Pool is a monument filled with stolen water, dedicated to the tiny, parched soul of a minister who thinks history is something you can pour concrete over. May every sip taste like the dust of that farmer’s field. Cheers, you absolute bastards.
